Collapsible lamp shade



June 21, 1955 r INVENTOR. KI. ella BY 7 WP'M nu 1 mm l1! United States PatentO flee COLLAPSIBLE LAMP SHADE Yelverton Peyton Wells, Louisville, Ky. Application April 13,1954, Serial No. 422,804

1 Claim. (Cl. 240-108) The present invention relates in general to lamp shades, and more particularly to lamp shades which are formed of a plurality of sections which may be collapsed into nested relation to facilitate packaging and transportation of the shade and protect the cover material during shipment.

Heretofore, lamp'shades and shields for illumination devices generally, such as those designed for use with table and floor lamps and overhead lights, have conventionally been formed of vertically spaced closed loops of reinforcing wire at the upper and lower edges of the shade and interconnecting vertical wire members spaced at generally uniform points about the loops to form a rigid skeleton frame about which a cover of sheet material such as paper, cardboard or fabric is disposed. Such a construction is relatively fragile and therefore particularly subject to distortion of the .wire skeleton frame or damage to the unsupported portions of the sheet material cover between the widely spaced wire members during shipping or handling of the shade. Furthermore, lamp shades for the types of table and floor lamps currently in vogue must be of such large size both vertically and laterally that they are inconvenient to handle and difficult to package conveniently.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a novel lamp shade for use with conventional table and floor lamps wherein the shade is formed of a plurality of collapsible sections to permit substantial reduction in the vertical dimensions of the shade and alleviate the above mentioned disadvantages.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel lamp shade for table and floor lamps wherein the skeleton frame and cover therefor is formed of a plurality of vertically arranged telescoping sections which may be selectively collapsed in nested relation to produce a shade unit of convenient size for shipment and handling or expanded to conventional lamp shade dimensions.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel lamp shade for floor and table lamps wherein the skeleton frame and associated cover is formed of a plurality of telescoping sections of progressively diminishing size, and the skeleton frame members of the respective sections are interconnected for relative guided movement between the sections to facilitate collapsing the sections into telescopically nested relation and holding the sections in preselected axially offset relation.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing showing only a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lamp shade embodying the present invention, illustrating the shade sections in extended position for use as a'lamp shade, portions of the cover material being broken away; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lamp shade showing the telescopically related sections collapsed into nest ed condition. V I

Referring to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, the lamp shade generally indicated by the reference character 10 is formed of a plurality of inde: pendent lamp shade sections 11, 12 and 13, each of generally rectangular horizontal cross section and presenting terconnected by bracing wires 17 soldered at their ends to the reinforcing wire loops 15 and 16 to space the loops vertically and form therewith a rigid skeleton frame. As illustrated in the preferred embodiment, one vertically arranged bracing wire 17 is located centrally on each side of the rectangular section 11, The usual lamp shade cover, indicated at 18 formed of sheet material such as parchment paper, cardboard or fabric, extends entirely,

around the lamp shade section and is secured at its upper and lower ends to the reinforcing wire loops 15' and 16..

Similarly, the intermediate section 12 which is of rectangular cross section and of smaller size than the section' 11 in order to telescopically nest inside thesection 11, consists of a skeleton frame 19 formed of upper and lower reinforcing wire loops 20 and 21 and interconnecting vertical bracing wires 22, all covered with a cover 23 of the usual sheet material. It will be noted, how-, ever, that the lower ends of the-vertical bracing wires 22 do not terminate at the lower reinforcing wire'loop 21,

but are bent at right angles about the lowermost wire loop 21 and project outwardly thereof to form a guide arm indicated at 24, terminating in an inwardly opening hook 25 which surrounds and slides upon the adjacent vertical bracing wire 17 of the lowermost section 11.

The uppermost section 13 is also provided with a wire skeleton frame 26 comprising upper and lower reinforcing wire loops 27 and 28, respectively, and vertical bracing wires 29 all enveloped in a cover 30 of conventional sheet material. The vertical bracing wires 29 of the uppermost section 13 are also provided with guide arms 31 projecting outwardly from immediately beneath the lowermost wireloop 28 and terminating in an inwardly opening hook '32 surrounding and guided vertically on the adjacent vertical bracing wire 22 of the intermediate lamp shade section'12. Extending between opposite legs of the uppermost reinforcing wire loop 27 of the uppermost section 26 is a support 33 by which the lamp shade is to be mounted on a conventional lamp. The support 33 is of conventional form comprising a plurality of wire members 34 radiating from an internally threaded mounting ring 35 to which their inner ends are secured and connected as by soldering or other conventional means to opposite legs of the upper reinforcing wire loop 27.

Each of the vertical bracing wires 17, 22 and 29 of the shade sections 11, 12 and 13 are provided near their connection with the upper reinforcing wire loop of their section with an inwardly directed V-shaped bend 36 forming a recess to receive and hold the hooks 25 and 32 on the ends of the outwardly projecting portions 24 and 31 of the vertical bracing wires 22 and 29 and space the lower edges of the intermediate and upper sections 12 and 13 immediately below the upper edges of the lower and intermediate sections 11 and 12 when the shade sections are in extended position. The outwardly projecting guide arms 24 and 31 of the vertical bracing wires 22 and 29 are slightly shorter than the dis- Pei tented June 21, 1955 tance between their shade sections and the section with which they connect so as to place the lower reinforcing wire loops of the intermediate and upper sections 1] and,12, under slight outward tension. In this manner, the books 25 and 32 will snap into the V-shaped recesses 36in the vertical bracing wires on whichthey are guided when the intermediate and uppermost shade sections are shifted into extended position and thereby properly locate and retain the respective sections in proper relative position.

When the sections are collapsed into the position illustrated in Figure 2, the hooks 25 and 32 are shifted out of; their associated V-shaped. recesses 36, and slide down the vertical bracing wires 17 and 22 until they rest upon the lower reinforcing wire loops 16 and 21, respectively. This construction, therefore, provides for. automatic location of the respective lamp shade sections'in appropriate position invboth extended and collapsed conditions and permits the intermediate and uppermost: sections 12 and 13. to be supported by the outermost section 12 when the shade is in nested condition.

While but one particular embodiment of. the invention has been particularly shownand described, it is apparent that various modifications maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and it. is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced thereon as are imposed by the prior art and are set forthin the appended claim.

I claim:

A collapsible, lamp shade comprising a plurality of shade sections of rectangular outline adapted to bet supported one from the other in concentric telescopic relation and each having a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls, each shade section having a covering of sheet material and reinforcing wires disposed adjacent the upper and lower edges ofthe sheet material covering, the largest of said shade sections having a vertically arranged guide rod located at anlintermediate point along eachside and end wallthereof. and secured at each end to the reinforcing wires of said largest shade section, an L-shaped member on each of' the other shade sections located in alignment with said guide rod with the vertical leg thereof extending between the associated upper and lower reinforcing wires and secured to the uppermost reinforcing wire associated therewith, the bend of each L-sha'ped member being formed about the lowermost reinforcing wire of its associated shade section disposing the horizontal leg of the L-shaped member in outwardly projecting relation immediately beneath the associated lowermost reinforcing wire, said horizontal legs each terminating in-inwardly opening hooks extending around the vertical guide rods and vertical legs of the adjacent outwardly disposed section for intercoupling adjacent sections throughout thereof from collapsed nested condition to an extended condition wherein their opposite edges are substantially aligned, the lowermost reinforcing wires about which said bends are formed exerting an inward resilient bias on each of said horizontal legs, said guide rods and vertical legs of said L-shaped members having inwardly directed V-shaped' deformations therein forming recesses adjacent the upper ends of said rods and legs to releasably receive and hold said hooks in vertical positions disposing the lowermost reinforcing Wires ofsaid shade section substantially in alignment with the'uppermost reinforcing wires of their adjacent outwardly disposed sections, and said lowermost reinforcing wire of said largest shade section and. said bends in the L-shape members of said other sections engaging said hooks upon movement of said shade sections into nested relation to limit relative movement of said section and support the same in nested relation from said largest shade section.

References Cited in the file oflthisl patent FOREIGN PATENTS 512,687 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1939 telescoping movement Great Britain Jan. 17, 1940 

